> Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, or Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant? Which duo will average the most shots per game this season?

Steve Aschburner, NBA.com: Assuming all six stay healthy, I’m going with Lillard and McCollum. The Blogtable meister snuck them in here for a reason, namely that there aren’t many other reliable offensive options on the current Portland roster. So the Lillard/McCollum tandem’s current average of 40.1 field-goal attempts per game might hold in the absence of LaMarcus Aldridge & Co. Curry/Thompson prides itself too much on efficiency to hoist ’em at that level through 82 games — they were at 33.7 last season — and Golden State has additional weapons to deploy. And while Durant/Westbrook is at 41.8 right now, in their last full season together (2012-13) they combined to take 36.4 shots per game. Also, OKC coach Billy Donovan at least says he wants to develop other scoring options.

Fran Blinebury, NBA.com: While it’s tempting to go with Lillard and McCollum because they’re the only real bullets in a pop-gun offense that ranks in the bottom third of the league, I’m counting on the heavy artillery of Durant and Westbrook — especially Westbrook — to individually launch enough 25-30 shot barrages because, well, it’s who they are.

Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: My actual answer is “I’m sure John Schuhmann did a spread sheet on this months ago, so whoever he picked.” But since he won’t let me look, I’ll go with Westbrook and Durant while making up logic as I go along. I think the Thunder will continue to play at a fast pace, while I’m not as sure the Blazers will keep it up. And I think the Warriors will benefit from not winning this category because it means Curry and Thompson will be resting in a lot of fourth quarters, in a good way.

Shaun Powell, NBA.com: The Portland duo, Lillard and McCollum, if only out of necessity. The ball should touch either Lillard or McCollum’s fingers on every possession. It’s not that they must shoot every time, but touch the ball and be a threat to score on an otherwise thinly-talented team.

John Schuhmann, NBA.com: Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The lack of offensive talent on the Blazers’ roster has given these guys license to shoot anytime they’re open within 30 feet of the basket. Also, Terry Stotts is staggering their minutes, so that they each get plenty of time to dominate the offense with the other on the bench. In the Blazers’ second game (at Phoenix last Friday), McCollum took 12 shots in the nine minutes that Lillard sat, and it was something to behold.

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: If the Warriors keep waxing the opposition the way they did the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry and Thompson will be out of the running early because they won’t see the floor much in the fourth quarter of games. Durant and Westbrook are going to be volume shooters by virtue of their being no other clear-cut or reliable scoring options you’d be comfortable with on the Thunder roster. But Lillard and McCollum will have to fire away relentlessly to keep the Trail Blazers competitive all season. They will not only win this fight, they have to for the sake of basketball this season in Portland. They have to win this one!

Ian Thomsen, NBA.com: I’m guessing Westbrook and Durant will lead in this category because they are exceptionally talented and hungry to win. Will it be a bad thing if they dominate the shots for their team? It’s hard to answer that question because it’s been so long since we’ve seen them healthy together for an extended time. Maybe they are so good and so ready to fulfill their potential that the normal rules will not apply.

Lang Whitaker, NBA.com’s All Ball blog: I’m going to immediately disqualify Curry and Thompson, because while they probably SHOULD take the most shots, the Warriors get so far ahead that Curry ends up resting for large chunks of games, which means their gross numbers will be a little lower than everyone else. Lillard and McCollum have had a great run to start the season, but they’re both perimeter players, and Westbrook/Durant can form an inside-out tandem and provide more diversity to the Thunder offense in that way. Also, just to be frank, Westbrook and Durant are the better players out of that final four. So I’ll go with OKC’s finest.

3 Comments

Durant and Westbrook. Love it when he cools off his guns in his imaginary holster. He does it so fast now, you can hardly see it. It’s also fun to watch him and Kevin Durant live. They slam the ball so hard, you can hear it from the stands. Impressive.